La Liga teams have performed well in the last 16 of the Champions League this season, with a total of four teams successfully qualifying for the knockout rounds, including the last three of the Spanish Super League and Real Sociedad. The Bundesliga is a close second, with Bayern, Borussia Dort, and Leipzig advancing to the knockout rounds. Inter Milan and Lazio in Serie A also managed to reach the knockout rounds, while Premier League side Manchester City and Arsenal also qualified. Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven also made it to the knockout rounds. Despite being a top league, the Premier League has not performed as well in the Champions League this season as it has been in La Liga and the Bundesliga.
In the upcoming fixtures, it is likely that only two Premier League teams will make it to the knockout rounds, with Manchester City and Arsenal needing to win the Premier League honours. Manchester City are not to be underestimated, and they are favourites to win the Champions League. Arsenal, on the other hand, need to work harder to go far in the Champions League. Congratulations to Arsenal!They managed to avoid two strong opponents and are now looking forward to the ideal of opponents: Manchester United. Coming up against a favourable opponent in the knockout stages of the Champions League is crucial and Arsenal know it well.
In the 04-05 Champions League, Arsenal were knocked out of the competition, and in the 05-06 Champions League final they lost to Barcelona. In the 09-10 season of the Champions League, Arsenal missed the semi-finals, and from the 11-12 season to the 16-17 season, Arsenal stopped the Champions League round of 16 for 7 consecutive seasons, during which they were eliminated by Bayern 3 times and defeated by Barcelona 2 times. It's fair to say that Bayern and Barcelona are the last opponents Arsenal wants to face. In the first round of the Champions League knockout round this time, Arsenal successfully avoided these two powerhouses.
At the moment, Arsenal and Bayern have both topped their groups, so they will not meet in the round of 16. As for Barça, they are now struggling to drop to second place in the group. At the moment, Barcelona are leading Group H, and Shakhtar Donetsk, although three points behind Barcelona, still have the potential to overtake. If Barcelona lose away to Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk beat Porto away and have a better goal difference than Barcelona (who currently lead 7-0 on goal difference), then Barcelona will finish second in the group.
Although this is highly unlikely, Barcelona have already confirmed the top spot in the group, alongside Arsenal. So, who would Arsenal most hope to meet in the first round of the knockout round?Manchester United face serious challenges on their way to qualify. In the same group, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray only need a win in the final round to knock Manchester United out. Even if Manchester United succeeds in beating Bayern, there is a chance that they will not be able to qualify.
Whether either Copenhagen or Galatasaray advances, Arsenal are potential opponents to face in the round of 16. What are your thoughts on whether Arsenal can break the curse of the last-16 tie, what they can achieve in the future, and even have a chance of winning the title?